Have you got a job interview coming up? If so, the chances are you’ll be asked a few behavioural interview questions that aim to reveal more about your skills, abilities and personality. These types of job interview questions are relatively straightforward to answer if you are well-prepared…
What are behavioural interview questions?
Behavioural interview questions focus on how you have handled work challenges and situations previously. The idea is that the way you have handled a situation in the past gives your potential future employer an indication of how you will behave at their company in real life.
What are some common behavioural interview questions?
A behavioural job interview may include a number of these common questions.
- Give an example of an achievement you’re proud of and describe how you achieved it.
- Tell me about an occasion when you have used your problem solving skills at work.
- Give an example of how you have gone above and beyond at work.
- Have you ever handled a difficult situation with a client or supplier? How?
- If you didn’t agree with your boss, what would you do?
- Describe a time when you have had to work under pressure.
- How do you handle mistakes at work?
- Have you ever had to make an unpopular decision? How did you implement it?
- Talk about a time when you have worked to a tight deadline.
- Give an example of how you’ve worked on a team.
- Give an example of when you have had to manage multiple projects. How did you do it?
- How do you deal with a stressful situation at work?
- Share an example of how you have motivated a team member.
- Have you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker?
Top Tip: Even though some of these may seem like yes or no questions, you should always respond and elaborate with specific examples. These should be a brief anecdote that demonstrates your skills and shows the employer that you are the right person for their role.
How should you answer behavioural based interview questions?
The STAR interview technique is a great method to use when you are using an example to answer an interview question. Using this technique, you should start by describing the situation you were in, then talk about the task you had to complete. Next, you should describe the action you took to complete the task and finally explain the results of your actions.
Here’s a useful video that will help you to master this technique.
We also recommend that you:
- Take your time. It can be difficult to come up with an example straight away, but it’s okay to take a moment to think about your answer. You can take a sip of your water, or a pause while you think of a good example and calm your nerves.
- Be prepared. Interview preparation is key if you want to be successful and win a job offer. By thinking of a few examples of when you have used valuable skills like time management, problem solving and teamwork in advanced, you’ll be able to answer more confidently in your interview.
- Be positive. Even if the interview question focuses on a problem or failure at work, it’s important to keep your answer positive. How did you solve the problem and turn the situation around? What were the positive results that your actions resulted in? No employer wants to hire someone who focuses on the negative.
Bringing it all together
A behavioural job interview is nothing to fear and most of us will have to face a few as part of our job search. If you prepare well and come up with some examples from your work experiences, you’ll breeze through these questions. Good luck!